Make It Better: A Craftalong for Sandy Relief

Although all of us here at STC Craft are grateful to have survived last week's hurricane relatively unscathed, we know firsthand that many Sandy victims in New York City and surrounding areas are still living without electricity, heat, or even proper shelter.

Two New York-based craft bloggers—Brett Bara from Manhattan Craft Room and Natalie Soud from A Dose of the Delightful—also took notice and created Make It Better: A Craftalong for Sandy Relief. The goal? Rally crafters to make warm hats, scarves, blankets, mittens, socks, and sweaters to deliver to those who are desperately in need of warm items to get them through the next few weeks.

If you’re anything like us, you know that crafting feels especially rewarding when done for others, so get out your supplies and read on to learn how you can help.

MAKE IT. Simply knit, crochet, or sew a warm garment or blanket–-items most needed are hats, socks, gloves/mittens, scarves, sweaters, and blankets (take a look at our free projects Pinterest board for ideas). If you’d like, you should  also feel free to donate other new or gently-used warm garments. We are hearing reports that general clothing is no longer needed, so please restrict your donations to warm winter items only.

SEND IT. Send your finished item to: Natalie Soud, 310 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013. They want to start distributing warm goods within a week or less, so stitch something quick and send it off! Volunteers will deliver the items to various points in and around New York City.

CRAFTALONG. Share what you’ve made and help spread the word! Blog, Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, and Pin that you’re participating in the Sandy Craftalong as soon as you can so that we can get as many hands stitching as possible. Then, when you finish your project, share what you’ve made by posting it on your own blog and on their Facebook page. Also remember to use the tags  #makeitbetter and #sandycraftalong.

We hope you'll join in!